It's the combat that really marks it out, though. Phantom Brigade thus skirts neatly between 'enough like', and 'different enough' on the strategic level, being somewhat streamlined while introducing its own nuances. This meant more rockets more often, and a remodel of my harassing riflebot into a harassing riflebot with jet-powered dodges, a sword, and big boy arms. I built a chunky mech with a massive rocket launcher that would overheat after one shot, Astrid-style, before conceding that I should probably replace its armour-heavy limbs with more slender ones that rated higher for heat dissipation. You also don't need to count heatsinks or make 'ammo:docking fees' calculations. It doesn't have the granularity of Battletech or even Mechwarrior 5 (both based on the same tabletop system, obv), but there are enough parts to differentiate mechs even early on, and swapping parts changes their appearance for a nice tiebreaker option. Weapons are held, which I personally un-prefer to the built-in option, but it does justify being able to replace parts as you like instead of waiting for a refit on the map. Rather than standard models differentiated by what equipment you shove in, each mech is comprised of discrete arms, legs and torsoes, which you stick together in Monseigneur Potato Head fashion according to your needs or whims.

The plot is your basic 'nasty men are oppressing everyone, get 'em!' guerrilla campaign, so cash is irrelevant but you'll want to gather supplies for repairs and periodically knocking up new frames and basic gear in your workshop. The influences are clear, and that's okay! Like Battletech, you lead a clomp of four mechs into a non-linear, freeform campaign, gunning down hostile mechs and tanks and pulling pieces off the wrecks in the hope of bolting them onto your own gunsuits. It seems they have a knack for rejigging familiar ideas exactly enough to keep them interesting without losing sight of their influences, because Phantom Brigade is also on track to be very solid. Thank goodness, then, for Phantom Brigade.ĭevelopers Brace Yourself Games are already regarded for 2015's Crypt Of The Necrodancer, and their upcoming Industries Of Titan pleased Steve Hogarty muchly last year. But so few games do it that I haven't found the champion I need. I want to cheer them on, to bewail the lack of games that dive into that rift between turn based and real time tactics and scheming. It's a bit of a thin premise for a whole article though, right?Īnd then there's simultaneous turns. It's not huge, and I don't see them absorbing everything like survival games or bloody roguelikes, but they're definitely picking up. I've noticed mech games, for example, are having a bit of a moment these last few years. Sometimes you want to write about two things, but don't quite have enough for either. I really enjoyed this game, and it felt like it was a triple-A experience, even though it was made by an indie game studio.I want more of Phantom Brigade’s simultaneous turns I fired at them from a good vantage point and sent them into retreat.

Then I had to hide from the tanks that were arriving from another direction.

I managed to completely disable the enemy’s lead mech in two turns. When you are done, you end the turn and the combat scene plays out. Then you can ambush the lead enemy mech, positioning your mech to fire at a place where the mech is expected to be. But using the predictive analysis, you can maneuver to spots where the enemy can’t see you. But you only have two mechs to face off against enemy infantry, tanks and mechs.

Well-crafted cinematics convey a sense of urgency and story.Ī second mech comes to help with a shield. A red enemy force comes close to the town and takes out one of your mechs, but not before it sends a warning. You play the blue team with a squad of mech units. The art looks realistic, with a kind of cartoon layer. The developers showed me how the fighting works in an assault on a small town.

The phantom brigade